Well, not so new any more since it came out in october 2004.

Mos Def, if you don't know, is a relatively well known MC who first appeared on some De La Soul songs then made an album with Talib Kweli in 1998, "Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star." A year later he released another album, "Black On Both Sides." This all earned him a reputation as a quality underground-style (but not really underground since Black On Both Sides sold 500,000 copies).

He took a break from album music for a while, recorded some singles for mix CDs for his label at the time, Rawkus Records. He also did some movies like The Italian Job remake and The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I just got around to picking up The New Danger yesterday. It moves beyond just being a hip hop cd like Black Star or a hip hop cd with some experimental tracks like Black on Both Sides, to a full-on hip hop, rock, blues, soul, funk and everything else cd put together by a guy who happens to rap on a majority of the tracks. Mos is backed by his rock band, Black Jack Johnson, which is named after some old boxer guy. I think the album was originally going to be put out as a Black Jack Johnson, rather than Mos Def, album, but that other Jack Johnson guy got a hit single or two and Mos's new label Geffen (I'm not sure why he split with Rawkus, *edit* oh wait...Rawkus went out of business) decided to bank on his name.

Some of the more traditional hip-hop oriented type folks got mad at Mos for not putting out another "real hip hop" album, but having listened to the whole thing thru a total of 3 times I think it's a pretty amazing record. Check out the sample clips on Amazon, download it if you wish, and go out and buy it. I hardly ever buy CDs any more unless I really really like the album, and this one was worth buying to me.

 

Yeah, it's good...I've had it for quite a while.

 

Shows how little I have been paying attention lately. I had no idea Rawkus folded until I picked up the album and noticed the Geffen label. I wondered why Mos would leave Rawkus. Turns out Rawkus was having management problems a couple years ago, not getting albums out on time, not handling their artists nicely enough. They signed on to be an MCA/Universal label (which I guess also owns Geffen?) and when they couldn't get their act together Universal declined to renew the contract, so they were left without distribution. The bigger Rawkus acts like Mos Def were absorbed into Geffen, and I guess the smaller ones might have been dropped. Quite disappointing that there will be no more Lyricist Lounge or Soundbombing cds.

http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=2749
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawkus

 

I miss Soundbombing...

 

Yea that's a good cd, he has always been about the music unlike many hiphop artists. Very talented to boot. Go get my money man, go get my money man.

 

Outkast has been about the music too. For those who remember ATLiens and Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, those albums were much more like typical rap/hip hop. With Aquemini they started playing with the music and turning to a different sound, even moreso with Stankonia, and then Speakerboxx/The Love Below is just on a whole different level musically. Then you have the fact that Andre3000 played all his own instruments on the Love Below...that's crazy.

 

Hmm it seems like Rawkus was circling the drain as long as 3 years ago:

http://www.sohh.com/thewire/read.php?contentID=3617
http://villagevoice.com/news/0417,coates,53010,1.html

 

:werd: soundbombing series were like the greatest compilations ever

 

soundbombing > *

but i just got the new common album. its dope as well. if ya like blackstar u'll like this album also.

 

Yeah the Common is dope. I got the missy too, there's some funky shit on that album....and I got Memph Bleek h: